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Rapid DNA data from IntegenX system used in court to secure conviction in murder trial

IntegenX announced that results from its RapidHIT system were used in a U.S. court to secure a conviction in an attempted murder case in Richland County, South Carolina.

IntegenX said that is the first time in the U.S. that results from its RapidHIT® System were used in court to obtain a conviction.

The RapidHIT System is a fully automated sample-to-answer system for STR-based human identification.

The self-contained human identification system generates standardized DNA profiles from buccal swabs and other human samples within 90 minutes.

“DNA testing has increasingly become a critical tool in criminal investigations. The RapidHIT System enhances the utility of conventional DNA tests by making results available to our investigators within 2 hours of delivering a sample the Richland County Sheriff’s Department (RCSD) Forensics Lab,” said Sheriff Leon Lott. “This increase in speed has proven invaluable for our agency, both in terms of time savings and speeding up the criminal justice process.”

On July 29, 2014, RCSD deputies responded to a report of shots fired and found the victim suffering from a gunshot wound. Later that day, a suspect in an unrelated incident was arrested by deputies.

The arresting officers found blood on the suspect’s clothing, a sample of which they provided to the RCSD Forensics Lab.

Using the RapidHIT System, the forensics lab successfully matched the samples from the suspect’s clothing to the victim. As a result, RCSD investigators were able to connect the suspect to the crime within hours of being given the sample.

“It is tremendously gratifying to see our technology assist in the apprehension and conviction of dangerous criminals,” stated Robert Schueren, President and CEO of IntegenX. “This milestone enables other agencies using IntegenX technologies to proceed with confidence that Rapid DNA results can be used from the beginning of an investigation all the way through the judicial process.”

Previously reported, Key Forensics Services Ltd, the exclusive provider of the RapidHIT DNA system to police and other law enforcement agencies in the UK, announced it was the first organization in the world to purchase the new RapidHIT ID from IntegenX.

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About Justin Lee

Justin Lee has been a contributor with Biometric Update since 2014. Previously, he was a staff writer for web hosting magazine and website, theWHIR. For more than a decade, Justin has written for various publications on issues relating to technology, arts and culture, and entertainment. Follow him on Twitter @BiometricJustin.